Surviving the Storm: Trauma and Recovery in Children's Books about Natural Disasters

Abstract

This article examines literature for children and young adults that depicts the devastation of natural disasters, particularly the 2005 hurricane Katrina which hit the eastern United States and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Especially for audiences of young children, representations of death and massive destruction can be a controversial enterprise. Focusing on three types of narratives—animal picture books, eye witness accounts, and young adult fiction—this study explores how children's and young adult literature navigates such difficult issues by retelling stories of large-scale disasters as scenarios of trauma and recovery.

Seeing disasters through the eyes of children: a critical reading of One Snowy Night and The Storm in the Barn through the lens of critical disaster studies

“…When examining both plays, both protagonists exhibit resilience, resistance, and transformation even more than their families and communities. According to Paula T. Connolly (2012), the occurrence of natural disasters causes children to experience some challenges and exposes their vulnerability, but "many children also often reveal a resiliency that helps them move through trauma to regain psychological health (2). In both plays, the children resist the adults' viewpoint and because of their brave acts, their lives and those of their families are transformed.…”